In a case of me feeling old as dirt, our 'new' truck is somehow 15 years old. The mechanical issues are starting to creep in. Living where we live - where local hauling isn't much of a thing and it's hours to anywhere - I'm feeling like it's time to start searching for something mountain road trip adventure reliable. I had honestly hoped to push a purchase out to 2026, but our truck is currently giving signs of imminent death and I'm definitely keeping tabs on what's new on the dealer pages.
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| We live at the top of this hill that includes multiple switchbacks, so really, even for local hauling I can't have anything under powered. |
What I'm replacing: a 2010 F-150 with V8 gas engine and 'max tow' package. I think at the time that meant upgraded brakes and transmission cooler, plus the integrated trailer braking. It's rated for around 12,000lbs. My trailer is 3000, plus ponies, plus gear. This truck served us well. For the Coast Mountains/Coquihalla and the Rockies it was absolutely fine, but I would not have wanted any less as far as horsepower and braking abilities on those trips.
What I'm replacing it with:
LOL. I don't know. I thought I'd pick the blogging community hive mind? I may need to suck it up and sell my two horse and replace it with a 3 horse trailer, so leaving options open for that I think it's best to upgrade to a 3/4 or 1 ton truck.
Top of my current list is a new Silverado 3500
Anyone been truck shopping lately and have any recommendations? My mind is a little boggled by the choices. I'm sure any one ton truck with a hitch can do the job, but the extras and the gimmicky stuff between brands seems a bit overwhelming. Power folding mirrors for sure, because the ferries do love to play Tetris with vehicle loading and we've said a sad goodbye to a protruding mirror twice now. Diesel is a no, just because local gas station logistics for such are annoying. Is a trailering app actually something I would find useful, ditto the 360 degree camera views, etc.
So, Blogosphere, tell me about your tow vehicle. What do you love? What do you dislike?
Just taking a guess, but I would imagine that finding a one ton gas truck might be a little hard. Most are diesel.
ReplyDeleteIt might be a regional thing - all the Chevys at the dealers here are 6.6l gas, and the Fords seem to be 50/50 with the nicer trim options gas and the work trucks more likely to be diesel. Our diesel prices here are quite a bit higher than gas, enough that the math doesn't make sense even with the better mileage, so that could be a factor in what the dealerships are ordering in. I have not investigated Dodge yet :)
Deleteno advice, just wishing ya good luck lol! truck shopping stresses me out, and i definitely feel like some newer autos (including passenger cars etc) don’t seem to have the same reliability or longevity? my first tow vehicle is 25 years old and still doing light duty for my parents — but the truck i replaced it with (a 2010 model) doesn’t seem likely to have quite so long a life. we’ll see i guess. i personally tend to buy kinda crappy trucks bc it’s hard to imagine spending $$ on something that’s only going to get driven ~3x a month, and my typical trailer driving profile is *significantly* less demanding than yours (just hills vs mountains, rarely farther than ~60miles). here’s hoping you find exactly the right fit! i’ve heard good things about newer toyotas, and friends drive dodges and fords happily. i like my chevys but expect to be open minded when it’s time for the next.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I should have worded better that the truck serves double duty and is my daily driver as well...I'm not at a life stage where I can justify/afford the nice car AND the nice truck ;)
DeleteI have very little advice other than JM has a 2021 Silverado, not sure anything else about it other than its a 2021 silverado, I can't remember if its a 2500 or a 3500, but its amazing and it makes trailering a breeze. Good luck!!
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